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Showing posts from July, 2021

Making your teeth look better with veneers

Everybody wants the best smile possible and there’s no need to have it spoiled by gaps in your teeth or by teeth that are stained or badly shaped. Whether the problem was caused by nature or by an injury, you may be able to have a veneer placed on top of your teeth to restore or improve your smile. Veneers are thin, custom-made shells crafted from tooth-colored materials designed to cover the front side of teeth. Your dentist will usually make a model of your teeth and the veneers will be made by a specialist dental technician. A small amount of enamel has to be removed from your teeth to accommodate the shell so having veneers is usually an irreversible process. In order to make the most of your veneer, your dentist may suggest that you avoid foods and drinks that could discolor them, such as coffee, tea or red wine. It’s also possible that veneers might chip or fracture. But, for many people, veneers are well worth it as they give them a completely new smile.

What’s involved in getting a dental implant?

Dental implants are increasingly popular as a way to replace missing or damaged teeth. Their great advantage is that they look natural and feel secure helping you to restore your smile and eat more easily. Implants are an ideal solution for many people but they are not an option for everyone. Placing implants requires some surgery so patients must be in good health, have healthy gums and have adequate bone to support the implant. They must also be committed to taking action to maintain their oral hygiene and to visiting the dentist regularly. The process for placing implants is as follows: First, surgery is performed to place the anchor. This can take up to several hours. Following the surgery, you may need to wait up to six months for the bone to grow around the anchor and firmly hold it in place. Sometimes follow up surgery is required to attach a post to connect the anchor to the replacement teeth. Alternatively, the anchor and post may already be attached and are pl

Caring for people who have special needs

People at any age can have a condition that makes it difficult for them to look after their own dental health. This could affect people who suffer from a wide range of conditons such as stroke, spinal cord injury, multiple sclerosis, mental retardation, Down syndrome, genetic disorders, Alzheimer’s disease or arthritis. However, people in all of these categories have the same dental needs as everyone else – they need daily brushing and flossing, regular dental visits and a balanced diet. There are some steps caregivers can take to make it easier to look after people in those categories. If the person is uncooperative or uncontrollable, try to explain what you are about to do and schedule the task for a time of day when they are rested. Move in a calm, slow, reassuring manner to avoid startling them. Give praise and encourage them when they help themselves. Support the person’s head, and take special care to prevent choking or gagging when the head is tilted back. If t

How cosmetic dentistry can change your smile – and your life

Modern cosmetic dentistry has created many opportunities that did not exist before for people to improve their appearance and change the way they feel about themselves. Although cosmetic dentistry really did not exist a few years ago, it now attracts interest from a wide range of people. There are few people who don’t want to improve their appearance by making their teeth straighter and whiter so that they look better when they smile. New technology and procedures have created many more opportunities for dentists to help patients look better. One of the most important opportunities for doing this is porcelain veneers. These are custom-made wafers that the dentist places over the front of the teeth to repair damage and make them look better. They can overcome many cosmetic dental problems such as whitening stained or discolored teeth, closing gaps between teeth or correcting a crooked smile without the need for braces. They can also cover up chips and imperfections so t